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Decision 1 · Week 1 · Wed Nov 4

Does Social Security keep up with costs if I live abroad?

SHORT ANSWEROnly partly. The yearly cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) raises benefits by a percentage based on US inflation: 2.8% for 2026. It is not adjusted for prices or exchange rates where you live.

If your local costs rise faster than US prices, the raise will not keep up.

The raise is in dollars. If the dollar loses ground against your local currency, a 2.8% raise can still leave you with less buying power than the year before.

SSA announces the next year's COLA each October.

Where it gets personal

Week 1 tests your budget against both inflation and currency moves.

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Sources

  1. Social Security Announces 2.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2026 · Social Security Administration
  2. Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States (EN-05-10137) · Social Security Administration

Written and reviewed by Todd Allyn, Founding Director, Sovereo Intelligence
Facts checked Oct 6, 2026 · Next review by Oct 31, 2026
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